Supporting international students to strengthen Canada’s labour force: Opinion

Canada needs more immigrants to strengthen its labour force, and international students are an invaluable option as they have been trained in Canada and are more likely to understand Canadian workplace norms, write Colleges and Institutes Canada President Denise Amyot and Nova Scotia Community College President Don Bureaux. Amyot and Bureaux say that Canada’s need for immigrants to fill labour market needs will continue grow, and that institutions must be ready to support future waves of immigrants and provide newcomers with services such as language training, employment services, and academic upgrading and reskilling options. The authors recommend creating a national employment pipeline for skilled newcomers, national microcredentials in in-demand skills, and permanent residency streams for graduates. Colleges and Institutes Canada Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.